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Neck Pain

Neck pain is the discomfort experienced in any of the structures in the neck. The pain is typically characterized by soreness and difficulty when you are moving the neck, more especially when turning the head to one side. Here are the common causes of neck pain:

Common causes of neck pain

Poor posture

Poor posture, while sleeping, working at the computer, and reading in bed, has been linked to straining the muscles around the neck, which often leads to neck pain. Sometimes maintaining a poor posture for an extended period can cause injury to the neck muscles, leading to a twisted and locked neck (acute torticollis).

Pinched nerve

A squashed nerve also causes neck pain. This occurs when one of the discs between the bones of the upper spine splits open causing the gel inside to bulge outwards on to a nearby nerve. Well, this is a common condition experienced by older people; as they get old, their spinal discs start to lose their water content leading to less flexible and high risk of splitting.

Wear and tear in the neck

This is a common condition that affects the joints and bones in your neck. Wear and tear in the neck are a type of arthritis normally referred to as cervical spondylosis. This condition also squashes the nearby nerves, which leads to extreme pain that branches out from the spins and needles, arms, and numbness in the legs and hands.

Whiplash

Whiplash is a neck injury usually caused by a sudden and violent movement of the head in a backward, forward or sideway direction. These movements overstretch and damage the ligaments and tendons, placing stress or pressure on your neck, and which causes neck pain. In most cases, whiplash occurs after a sudden impact such as a car accident, especially rear-impact collisions, falls, lifting heavy objects, horseback riding, and falling objects. As well as neck pain, whiplash can cause reduced and painful neck movements, tenderness in the neck muscles, and headaches.

Spinal cord damage

When the spinal cord gets damaged, it disrupts the vertebral bones that protect the spinal cord. The spinal cord is interconnected with the essential nerve elements; therefore, injuries to the spinal cord can cause extreme neck pain, partial or even complete paralysis.

Vertebral fracture

Some injuries pose a high risk of causing a vertebral fracture in the neck, and this can be very painful. Besides that, a spinal fracture can extend the damage to the spinal cord.